Civilian jobs that go with national guard?

May 9th, 2013, 04:10 PM

Hello, I have a meeting with a national guard recruiter this week, and I intend on joining the national guard without a doubt, but I have read that the national guard is pretty much a part-time branch, and that most soldiers usually end up only serving one weekend a month, this makes me wonder, what should i do with the rest of my time? I just got a job at wal-mart, not the best place in the world, but it is a stable work enviroment and it does offer long term benefits, just like the military does. One course of action could be to work wal-mart, and the national guard, and then some time in the future I could receive retirement checks from both..I think. This sounds like a decent long term plan to achieve financial stability.

On the other hand, with the training that one gains from basic training, like weapons training, combat training, and any other job specific skills, would I be able to use those benefits to achieve a better civilian job? Also, are there any full time positions availiable in the national guard branch? If I had my way, I would just go full time career in the military, as most civilian jobs do not interest me whatsoever. I read that during the recent wars overseas, a great majority of the troops were actually national guard, which leads me to question the ''one weekend a month'' thing. I am not sure if the national guard is actually part time, or full time, with less benefits than the other branches. Whats the point in joining the guard if I end up in the same place as army soldiers and marines, while getting paid less? I am confused.

I suppose what I am looking for is an answer to what path of life I should take regarding my career. I want to join the national guard, but since it's part time this means Ill also have to follow a civilian career path at the same time.

Have you thought about joining the service full-time? Why get two little checks, when you can just get one that probably will be bigger than both of them. Then supplement that with a robust ROTH IRA, TSP and then good social security benefits when you qualify? You could at 65 years old, collect at least $6000.00 (based on current wages/inflation) a month. Probably be much more in the year 2050.

Someone needs to do some database maintenance or maintenance overall on this website. Posting now seems to hang and take longer than usual.

One of the best examples is Information Technology. For the Army/Guard, that is the 25B MOS. The training you get at AIT is equal to tens of thousands of dollars you would normally spend out of pocket at private technology boot camps. Best of all, the security clearance is highly sought after in both the private sector and government sectors.

Have you thought about joining the service full-time? Why get two little checks, when you can just get one that probably will be bigger than both of them. Then supplement that with a robust ROTH IRA, TSP and then good social security benefits when you qualify? You could at 65 years old, collect at least $6000.00 (based on current wages/inflation) a month. Probably be much more in the year 2050.

Someone needs to do some database maintenance or maintenance overall on this website. Posting now seems to hang and take longer than usual.

Comment

One of the best examples is Information Technology. For the Army/Guard, that is the 25B MOS. The training you get at AIT is equal to tens of thousands of dollars you would normally spend out of pocket at private technology boot camps. Best of all, the security clearance is highly sought after in both the private sector and government sectors.

This. However, I believe that one's branch/MOS becomes insignificant once the soldier has a degree such as a BS Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering from any reputable or state school and a security clearance.

The defense sector is great if you want something that is compatible with reserve service.

Hello, I have a meeting with a national guard recruiter this week, and I intend on joining the national guard without a doubt, but I have read that the national guard is pretty much a part-time branch, and that most soldiers usually end up only serving one weekend a month, this makes me wonder, what should i do with the rest of my time? I just got a job at wal-mart, not the best place in the world, but it is a stable work enviroment and it does offer long term benefits, just like the military does. One course of action could be to work wal-mart, and the national guard, and then some time in the future I could receive retirement checks from both..I think. This sounds like a decent long term plan to achieve financial stability.

On the other hand, with the training that one gains from basic training, like weapons training, combat training, and any other job specific skills, would I be able to use those benefits to achieve a better civilian job? Also, are there any full time positions availiable in the national guard branch? If I had my way, I would just go full time career in the military, as most civilian jobs do not interest me whatsoever. I read that during the recent wars overseas, a great majority of the troops were actually national guard, which leads me to question the ''one weekend a month'' thing. I am not sure if the national guard is actually part time, or full time, with less benefits than the other branches. Whats the point in joining the guard if I end up in the same place as army soldiers and marines, while getting paid less? I am confused.

I suppose what I am looking for is an answer to what path of life I should take regarding my career. I want to join the national guard, but since it's part time this means Ill also have to follow a civilian career path at the same time.

It depends on what you want to pursue? Will those be useful in Law Enforcement? It may. But the skills that are transferable to the private sector are management and leadership abilities and experiences.

However, the private sector has little need for just management and leadership abilities/experiences alone.